Cauliflower star vege in 2023 NSSCC competition! –
Mashed, roasted, au Gratin, casserole, made into soups, pizza bases and taco shells, you name it and the humble cauliflower has co-operated!
And this year it is the key ingredient in the National Secondary Schools’ Culinary Challenge.
Entries open on June 1, and close June 30 at the end of Term 2, for high school students to prepare and perfect the most delicious cauliflower entre dishes they can.
The National Secondary Schools Culinary Challenge is an annual event run by the Culinary Arts Development Trust. The competition is designed to encourage the next generation of culinary talent, provide career pathways for students, and to foster relationships between secondary schools and the hospitality sector.
The competition consists of two parts. Part one is a Regional Competition with judging held online. Part two sees the winners of each region travel to Auckland to compete in the National Final on September 6 at the Manukau Institute of Technology.
Each of the eight regional competition’s winning teams will participate in a live cook-off and experience the New Zealand Culinary Journey the following day. With a total prize package valued at over $11,000, the competition is highly competitive .
Go Coconuts for NEW Monin flavours! –
Bring the sunshine in this winter with MONIN’s two new tropical flavours – MONIN Coconut Puree and MONIN Le Mixeur Pina Colada.
Le Mixeur de MONIN Pina Colada is your bartender in a bottle – simply add equal parts mixer, spirit and ice for a delicious and quick cocktail. Bursting with the fruity sweetness of pineapple and creamy coconut, Le Mixeur Pina Colada will instantly transport you to the tropics when you add it to cocktails, milkshakes and smoothies, or be adventurous and try mixing it in cold brew coffee with coconut milk. You can also try it in your next baked creation or dessert – the perfect tropical twist to a lamington, donut or muffin.
The tropical flavor of rich, creamy coconut in our MONIN Coconut Puree makes it hard not to wish your toes were somewhere in the sand. Take a staycation instead and use our MONIN Coconut Puree to add lightly sweetened authentic coconut taste and texture to smoothies, milkshakes, cocktails and baking until you can actually make it to the beach.
You can have confidence in these products’ clean labels – no artificial flavors or colors, non-GMO, Gluten free, Halal and Kosher. They are shelf stable and provide consistent flavor all year round.
Available via your local distributor or contact [email protected]
Flourishing Food Truck future on the horizon –
At high school in Wellington, Jes Howes was struggling to thrive and fast losing self-esteem. By Year 13, Howes decided it was time to move on and find a different pathway. With the encouragement of her parents, who knew she had a passion for cooking, she researched options at Whitireia and WelTec | Te Pukenga and embraced a new future.
Jes quickly immersed himself in his new, hands-on, practical study in the Commercial Kitchens of the hospitality campus and qualified in bakery, cookery and hospitality management. This experience cemented her ideas about pursuing a career doing what she loved, cooking, and Jes wanted to start her own food truck business.
“I love cooking and baking and it was while I was doing the courses that I came up with my food truck idea,” says Jes.
“I had this vision of a cool truck serving burgers and chips to people out on a Saturday night on Courtney Place. It will be fun and I know everyone loves hot, fresh food when they have a big night out.”
To complement her hospitality qualifications and to help her set up a new business, Howes has returned to learning at Whitireia and WelTec | Te Pūkenga to gain the accounting and management knowledge she needs to get going with her plans.
Howes is now in the process of completing this qualification and recently spoke about her experiences to almost 700 students at the recent graduation ceremony held by Whitireia and WelTec | Te Pukenga.
“When I was at school I had low self-confidence and really did not know what I wanted to do,” says Jes.
“When I started at Whitireia and WelTec | Te Pūkenga I met such lovely people in my class and I realized there was a student support team, who helped me with my learning difficulties.”
Howes described the student support team as being a big encouragement to her, having helped her navigate through her studies and explaining her situation to her tutors.
Disability advisor at Whitireia and WelTec | Te Pūkenga, Rebecca Burns said Jes Howes is an inspiration and despite potential learning barriers, she has achieved both personal and academic success.
“The importance of seeking and receiving support is strongly evident and I know that Jes is a strong advocate for our support services which extends to both students and staff. We have been privileged to walk this journey alongside Jes,” said Burns.
Looming $160m excise tax hard to absorb says NZABC –
The year has just got more challenging for producers, hospitality businesses and consumers of beer, wines and spirits with the announcement that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is 6.7%.
“The 6.7% rise in the CPI is used as a benchmark to increase the excise tax on beer, wines and spirits. The excise tax was $1.24 billion in June 2022 and is forecast to be $1.4 billion the following year[1].
This will mean an extra $160 million in new taxes which are paid by producers and ultimately consumers. In this time of rapid inflation and a cost of living crisis, extra taxes are extremely hard to absorb,” says NZABC executive director Virginia Nicholls.
Excise is a duty imposed on locally produced and imported beer, wine and spirits products.
The annual excise tax adjustment is based on movements in the CPI (up to 31 March 2023) and starts on 1 July 2023.
“The continuing inflationary pressure, including rising ingredient and packaging costs, skill shortages, higher interest rates, and recent flooding and cyclones means that an increased excise tax will more than likely need to be passed onto consumers,” Mrs Nicholls said.
“It is not well known that the majority of beer, wine and spirits producers, hospitality providers and retailers are small and medium sized businesses”[2] [3]Mrs. Nicolls said.
“The wine, beer, spirits and beverages industry provided much needed jobs, including all important entry level opportunities in every small town, city center and suburb in between. This includes 1,865 businesses across small, medium and large businesses”[4]says Mrs. Nicolls.
The more than 10,000 directly employed in the industry[5] do a whole variety of jobs from orchard workers, involvement in winemaking/brewing/distilling, manufacture and packaging, scientists, accountants, marketing, transport and logistics, salespeople and retail. Indirectly 20,913 kiwis are also employed.
The industry also sustains a productive and innovative domestic market and a growing export market.
“Only half (50%) of all kiwis realize that in addition to GST, there is an excise tax on beer, wine and spirits”[6]Mrs. Nicolls said.
Notes: [1] NZ Customs Service Rīpoata ā-tau Annual Report (June) 2022, p 167. Year ending June 2022 actual customs and excise duty on alcohol $1.24 billion and year ending June 2023 unaudited forecast of $1.4 billion, accessed 20 April 2023. https:// www.customs.govt.nz/contentassets/01619abba6a748e98ce7282629484d0c/2022-annual-report-print.pdf
[2] NZ Winegrowers (NZW) categorizes wineries by size, with small wineries classified as those who sell less than 200,000 liters of wine each year. In 2022 this accounts for 88% of wineries. NZW Annual Report 2022.
[3] According to Ratebeer as at 2021 there were 199 breweries in NZ (NZIER February 2022)
[4] NZ Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) report February 2022
[5] Ibid
[6] Conducted by Curia Market Research, December 2022, with 1250 respondents across NZ
$1.00 meals this weekend in Christchurch & Wellington –
A selection of popular food hotspots in Wellington and Christchurch have joined forces with DoorDash to provide a menu of items for just $1.00 each – this weekend only.
“We’re excited to launch $1 meals this weekend and urge Kiwis to get behind their favorite hospitality outlets,” says Rebecca Burrows, DoorDash General Manager New Zealand, Australia and Canada.
“We’ve got some amazing local eateries behind us and together we’re hoping to get their delicious food out to more Kiwis this weekend for only $1.”
From Friday 14thth to Sunday April 16, there will be a rotating roster of restaurants and $1 meals available, offering something new each day for fans to get their teeth stuck into. Some of the mouth-watering highlights in Wellington include legendary:
- Reburger and their Smashed Prince burger
- Hutt Rubs with pulled pork loaded with fries
- Gerry’s Charcoal Chicken and the infamous chicken and chips
- Mama Brown’s infamous southern fried chicken burger
- Lord of the Fries and their sampler munch box
- Abrakebaba and their classic go-to, meat on chips
Popular Wellington diner Mama Brown chose to join the promotion to encourage Kiwis to support locals this weekend and to help them celebrate a massive milestone for the restaurant.
“The $1 deal aligns with our 10-year anniversary, so what better way to celebrate and share the good vibes than treating people to our best-selling Southern Fried Chicken Burger for just one dollar?” says Queenie Lai, Mama Brown General Manager.
Further down the country, Christchurch’s $1 deals include:
- $2 Dumpling Rice’s famous lunch box
- Burger Station’s chicken burgers
- Lazeez and their fan favorite grilled chicken souvlaki
- Pot Sticker Dumpling Bar and their dozen matter dumplings
- Empire Chicken’s scrumptious tender box
Plus, many more options up for grabs exclusively on the DoorDash app.
New and existing DoorDash customers who order via the app from participating eateries between 2-5pm on Friday 14th to Sunday 16th April can claim $1 menu items.
Chef advocates collectives for food security –
A new collective of iconic Kiwi chefs has come together under the Kiwi Harvest banner to tell the organization’s story and advocate for a more secure food Aotearoa.
Joining existing ambassador, Peter Gordon, are four new recruits: Michael Meredith, Brent Martin, Kylee Newton and Alfie Ingham.
Established in 2012, KiwiHarvest exists to address Aotearoa’s dual issues of food insecurity and food waste. By rescuing and redistributing surplus stock from its 280+ food donors, they’re able to get food into communities across its five national locations, delivering regularly to over 240 recipient charities. KiwiHarvest says, however, there is so much more that needs to be done and they are reliable on donations to enable them to meet this growing need.
The KiwiHarvest Collective aims to grow and nurture a community of like-minded people with a shared mission to raise awareness of and find solutions to these issues. The supergroup of culinary experts kicked things off with a volunteering session at KiwiHarvest’s Auckland warehouse at the end of March.
Peter Gordon joined KiwiHarvest as its very first ambassador in 2021. Internationally renowned chef, Peter has a repertoire of highly acclaimed restaurants under his belt, from Sugar Club, to Providores and Tapa Room, to his current focus, Homeland.
“Although we have plenty of kai in Aotearoa, many people are still going hungry. Helping KiwiHarvest show this was why I came onboard, but I realized that I needed support in spreading the message. I asked some of my favorite Auckland chefs and foodies to help me, and with our combined voices I believe we can reach a much wider audience and get food where it needs to be more easily,” explained Peter.
The first of the new recruits is the brain and talent behind Meredith’s and Mr. Morris, Michael Meredith.
“KiwiHarvest has done so much good in trying to improve the way we deal with such an ongoing problem, one that we face every day. My involvement in the collective is a stepping stone to contribute some new ideas and to collectively raise more awareness,” says Michael.
Second to join is Chief Executive Chef of the 5-star Park Hyatt Hotel, Brent Martin. He has played a pivotal role in the success of the hotel’s restaurants (including The Living Room, The Pantry and now, Onemata) and is excited to make real social change within our communities.
“It has always been at the top of mind to use my culinary connection, knowledge and passion to drive support for those who need it across Aotearoa – a cause that is way bigger than me. Food sustainability has become the forefront of what we, at the Park Hyatt, do on a daily basis. We even have set targets for food waste and food donations each year.”
“I want to feel connected to the community, and by collaborating with an organization like KiwiHarvest, I feel that I can make a real impact on people’s lives,” added Brent.
Cook, author and preserver, Kylee Newton is known for launching London-based preserving company, Newton&Pott which produced high quality jams, pickles, and chutneys with a focus on minimizing food waste.
“My good friend Peter (Gordon) first alerted me to the great work KiwiHarvest was doing in reducing food waste and how they distributed it among people in need. This is the main issue that surrounds my ethos in cooking; preserving food is at the heart of using up seasonal gluts, and giving food longevity so it doesn’t go to waste.”
“With increasing food costs, what better time to address this issue for the future of our community, and for the health of our planet. Awareness starts within the home and I will do all I can to spread this message – I see the KiwiHarvest Collective as a perfect platform to do so,” said Kylee.
And finally, UK-born Alfie Ingham has signed up, having worked in some of the best restaurants in NZ. He was part of the award-winning Hugo’s Bistro team, and prides himself in partnering with smaller local growers, farmers, hunters and fishermen, to highlight the hard work that goes into producing quality, sustainable food.
“I’ve always believed that good food should be accessible to everyone, and the more I learned about food waste and food insecurity, the more I wanted to help an organization do the right thing. I’m excited to meet the amazing people working hard behind the scenes and I’m hoping to make a real tangible change with food insecurity in New Zealand,” concludes Alfie.
Why now?
The lingering impacts of Covid-19, rising costs of living and natural disasters have meant more people than ever are doing it tough in Aotearoa – including those who wouldn’t stereotypically seek out food support.
KiwiHarvest Founder, Deborah Manning, pictured top right, said, “Our hope is that by teaming up with these culinary experts, we can raise more awareness about the issues right here in our backyard and offer practical solutions for people to take action.”
“Each of them brings enormous value to the table and the overall Kiwi Harvest mission. Together, we can amplify the important mahi being done by our partners, volunteers and other food rescue organizations to make sure every Kiwi has access to nutritional kai before it goes to waste,” Deborah concludes.
To launch the KiwiHarvest Collective, the team volunteered at KiwiHarvest’s East Tamaki warehouse, getting stuck into the hands-on work of sorting and packaging donated and surplus stock (including apples, carrots, feijoas, and other fresh produce), to be distributed to recipients all over the country.
New CEO to helmet NZ Cruise Association –
The New Zealand Cruise Association (NZCA) has announced the retirement of CEO, Kevin O’Sullivan, effective June 30, 2023.
O’Sullivan has been the association’s CEO for the past four and a half years. Prior to that he was on the NZCA board for 15 years while holding the role of Regional Harbourmaster at Environment Southland.
Former Chair Debbie Summers said “Kevin will be missed immensely by all in our industry. He has worked tirelessly and in particular, throughout our battle to restart these past years. NZ Cruise is in a better place for all his efforts.
“As chair I particularly appreciated Kevin’s relentless positivity and sheer determination as he liaised and negotiated with the many stakeholders required to enable the sector’s post-COVID recovery.
“He has led NZCA through the most turbulent time the sector has ever experienced, and both the board and wider cruise industry stakeholders are deeply appreciative of the tireless work he has undertaken to facilitate and support the recovery of the sector.”
Current Chair of NZCA, Jacqui Lloyd, has been named as O’Sullivan’s successor and will take up the CEO position in June 2023.
Lloyd has more than 20 years of tourism, cruise and senior management experience, including his most recent role as General Manager of Destination Marlborough.
“Jacqui is the perfect person to lead NZCA through the next phase of the sector’s recovery,” said Tansy Tompkins, NZCA’s deputy chair. “Jacqui’s extensive tourism background, senior leadership experience and relationship skills will help NZCA to further develop strategic alliances, unite our sector and expand our presence on the world stage as the cruise industry rebounds.”
“I am very excited to be taking up the CEO role at NZCA,” said Lloyd. “Largely due to the excellent leadership of Kevin O’Sullivan over the past four years, I believe the NZCA is in a brilliant position as the industry returns.
I’m looking forward to working with members, stakeholders, and our local communities to ensure New Zealand is both positioned as the best cruise destination for industry, and that it’s an industry that contributes to the economic, social, environmental, and cultural wellbeing of New Zealand.”
Lloyd will continue as NZCA chair until she starts her new role on June 1. A new chair will be announced in due course.
‘Free From’ category highly contested at 7th ONZFP awards –
More than 290 locally harvested, grown and made food and drink products were assessed in late February with 206 Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals awarded in the seventh Outstanding New Zealand Food Producers Awards.
Head Judge Lauraine Jacobs said, “Each year there is a different trend that becomes obvious as we work diligently to assess the range of entries. This year judges were excited to see how many producers have taken up the health message and emphasized this through their food production.”
‘Free From’ is food made and marketed to meet the requirements of a specific diet such as; gluten-free, carb-free, keto, vegan or meat-free; for the first time this year these products were judged in their own category. Free-From was highly contested with 54 products being assessed and 40 medals awarded in this category.
Specialist sustainability judges Fiona Stephenson and Emily King said, “Most entrants in this category scored well on sustainability. There were a few stand-out entrants, including cereal products and dairy-free alternative options. It’s a notably large category compared to others, which perhaps reflects changing consumer preferences in recent years.”
Outstanding Gold Medal Winners in the Free-From category in 2023 include; Island Gelato, Chocolate & Forest Berry Italian Ice Cream Cake; Little’ Lato, Mango Lassi; Lucy’s Gluten Free, The Seedy One; Mind Your Temper, Speculoos Bonbon; Mylk Made, Almond Barista Mylk Base; Raglan Food Co, Organic Passionfruit Coconut Yoghurt, Well & Truly Artisan Pantry, Raspberry Road Gourmet Granola and Wise Boys, Hemp and Mushroom Burger Patties to name a few.
Lauraine Jacobs led a talented team of more than 25 experienced food judges supported by a team of stewards who assessed entries over two days at Auckland’s Homeland restaurant.
She noted; “This year our judging took place immediately following Cyclone Gabrielle, which caused havoc for many of our farmers and food producers, and meant some outstanding foods could not be included. The team of expert and well-qualified judges want to extend sympathy and encouragement to all those affected. We hope to see you all revive, recover and return to continue to feed our nation with your excellent food products. I can assure you that you were missed.”
Of the 206 Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards medals in 2023, 98 are Gold; 60 are Silver and a further 48 are Bronze.
Eighty-five per cent of the marks for each entry are awarded by the judges for the product, specifically; visual appearance, aroma, flavour, consistency and quality. A further 10% is made for sustainability, with two specialist judges reviewing each entry for environment and social business practice. The final 5% is given for ‘wow’ and brand story, the excitement factor and the point of difference for each product.
All Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards Gold Medal winners are in contention for Category Champions and Special Awards which will be announced at the Champions Party 2023 on Tuesday 18 April at the Glasshouse in Morningside, Auckland.
The complete list of 2023 medal winners is on the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards website. https://www.outstandingfoodproducer.co.nz/medal-winners-2023